Call for Submissions: Whatever! A Body Posi Guide
Zine Community Crowdfunding Spotlights
I’m doing something a little bit different today because I’d like to feature a couple of zine community crowdfunding projects. If we don’t support each other, who will?
There’s only 24 hours left, at the time I’m posting this, and Pozible is an all or nothing crowdfunding site. They’re so close!
ZICS is a not-for-profit collective of passionate volunteers dedicated to connecting local zine and indie comic creators with the wider public. We strive to start inclusive conversations, collaborate on ideas, and share the art forms that we love.
We’ve been working hard since March to make this year the biggest ZICS yet, and now we need your help. As a not-for-profit group, we rely on your generosity to make this event happen. That’s where the Pozible campaign comes in. By pledging just five dollars of your hard-earned cash, you’ll be supporting Brisbane’s largest gathering of zine and indie comic enthusiasts.
[vimeo 174001842 w=425 h=350]
Our project is centred around multi-media artist Ana Hine, as she navigates making and distributing her feminist arts zine Artificial Womb around Scotland.
It will explore her experience of dropping out of the mainstream media, due to work-related stress, depression and anxiety, and the role zines are having in her recovery.
The film will touch on:
zines and DIY culture
feminist arts scenes
mental health & employability
We would like to showcase the work of other zine makers who have had similar experiences with mental ill-health. If you’d like to be featured (and are within driving distance of Glasgow and/or Dundee) get in touch!
Happy International Zine Month – Days 15 + 16
I know. I said I’d put up two reviews yesterday, but I just couldn’t do it. It might not really matter, but I love to let each zine review have the day to itself.
Eventually I will experiment and see if it actually matters…
On with International Zine Month stuff!
Day 15: Leave a zine in public for someone else to find
Day 16: Send your zine to a distro for consideration.
I wish I had some pictures of a grand, sneaky zine drop somewhere local, but, alas, I do not.
More reason I should look ahead on the IZM day tasks and, you know, plan. Oopsie.
The second task is actually a little funny in that I have been trying for the past couple of weeks to make copies of all my zines to send to Sticky Institute. (Or drop them in, should the timing ever finally work out to be right.)
If anyone is participating in IZM and blogging about it, please let me know! I’m making a bad show of it. 😉
Zine Review: O’Flannigans 1-5
O’Flannigans 1-5
Jessica
oflanniganszine@gmail.com
I’m taking liberties with the capitalisation and the apostrophe. Apologies if I’m wrong! Apologies also to Jessica, who sent these to me for review and, between the time for the zines to arrive and me finally reviewing them, has been very patient.
O’Flannigans is a mini-zine series dedicated to the local music scene in Logan, Utah. Along with a collection of fun bits and bobs, you will find the Music Report (complete with header banner and rock fist) complete with what you’re missing out on if you’re not there.
It took me a moment to realise that ‘Why Sound’ is where the music is happening rather than this imagined O’Flannigans pub I had going in my head. That’s my fault due to extended time spent at pubs over the years. Noticing that made me realise that there aren’t really details as to the location of Why Sound or even any pointers to Logan, Utah. (I found that on the note Jessica included.)
Having a zine dedicated to your community is definitely an awesome thing, no doubt about that. But a few details go a long way if your zine escapes the ranks and wanders out into the rest of the world. Though I should note the email address is now included.
Beyond that, though, this is a fantastic little zine series. There is so much going on in such a little space – it’s fantastic! Backgrounds, drawings… There’s a little Ouija board in one, a crossword in another… I really love the colour accents that change in each issue. In a black and white zine world, colour is an excellent way to stand out and give your zine some pop.
You can easily tell that there is so much passion going into these zines from the things I’ve already mentioned to quotes like this:
The night ended with Like Wildfire savagely kicking ass with their chaotic hardcore jams.
Why do I love that sentence so much? Doesn’t matter. It’s awesome.
All this passion and energy makes the fact that this mini-zine is free even more awesome.
Happy International Zine Month – Day 14 + Review Rain Check
I have to postpone today’s review, but that just means double the awesomeness tomorrow.
🙂
This day got away from me in so many ways, though not unpleasant ones. But I did still want to take a peek at today’s task before bed:
ValenZINE’s Day! Write to ZineCrush.com (or your zine crush!)
If you’re wondering why I didn’t link to the site name, it’s because apparently not a site as such anymore.
Sad face.
I have zine crushes all over the place insofar as I admire all the people who have such great artistic abilities, I love seeing zines that have been going for a long, long time, I crush on zine makers who stuff there zines full of interesting content…
I have crushes on zinesters who also make/sell buttons. Especially on those who run distros and have done so successfully for years.
<3
If you have a zine crush, let me know! I'm always on the lookout for new zines/zinesters to take a look at.
Happy International Book Month! Day 13 + Done, Doing, Dreaming
I love that we have a whole month. We’ve taken it, and we’re not giving it back! (But we’ll share, of course.)
Welcome back to another beautiful (there was actually sun here, I am so happy) day of International Zine Month. So what’s on the agenda for today?
Zine Trade Day! Ask someone to trade zines with you
I’m going to tweak things a smiggle again today with this one to highlight a site that has been set up specifically for getting in touch with people who want to trade zines:
I haven’t signed up (yet), so I don’t have a lot of details, but even if you’re not looking to trade right now, it’s a great way to find new zinesters to check out.
Win, win, win!
Now on to something I thought of while being so busy not sleeping the other night. Haha.
Done
*Recorded the audio versions for Don’t Call Me Cupcake 1 and Don’t Call Me Cupcake 2. Now I need to edit it and get it over to Billy da Bunny. Curious about audio zines? Check out Billy’s Bunny Ears Distro.
Doing
*Dear Anonymous 5 has been started. There’s still time to sneak in with a letter if you’d like to be a part of it.
*I’m looking for a nice but affordable mic for doing more recording.
*I’m finally ordering a photobox so I can take NICE pictures.
Dreaming
*I’ve been dreaming big about a badge making machine. Someday one will be mine, and Zine Ninja’s image will go worldwide!
*Podcasting! LogPoes was kind enough to have a listen to my first (and only) podcast, and that got me thinking about how much I wanted to get into doing that. And still do. I have to get the front panel of my computer replaced and look for a good mic, but it’s definitely on my mind.
*I am looking forward to putting out a few new calls for submissions for zine ideas I have swirling around in my head…
Happy Mail Awesomeness! Zine Makers Are the Best
Haaaaappy mail! I’m so happy I could burst into glitter and confetti.
People in the zine community are so generous. A couple of these were trades, but it’s still wonderful and generous in my book.
This first assortment of zine goodness came from http://wemakezines.ning.com/profile/BillyDaBunny. We have an interesting little trade happening in that part of the trade is me recording audio versions of my zines…
More news on that later.
Billy even took a look at my wishlist and did some digging around. Zinesters are awesome!
This pack of happiness came from the one and only https://www.facebook.com/bloomzine/. She creates such classy zines, and it’s always a pleasure to find happy mail from her in my post box.
It’s a box of zines. An actual box of zines.
Squeeee!
The amazing LogPoes of https://yourfriendlp.wordpress.com/ was going through her zine collection and asked me if I’d like some of the zines she was happy to pass on.
Would I?
Yes, please!
So many zines! This, my friends, is how you get one of the very rare “I owe you Tim Tams for the next decade” Nyx cards.
I am near-speechless level gobsmacked that someone would send me a big ol’ box of zines like this – especially from overseas.
Thank you so much, LogPoes!
<3 <3 <3
Happy International Zine Month! Day 12
Another day, another task to check off on the IZM to-do list!
Send your zine out to be reviewed.
I’m going to risk annoying some people by tweaking this one again. Not only am I low on the postage funds, but I’m also battling with a bad bout of SAD. I already know that I’m not everyone’s cup of tea, and I also know that I’m all that and a bag of chips to others. What I don’t want to do is pile on additional anxiety (couch search for stamp money, is this the another letter AusPost is going to wipe its backside with and then claim it never saw the letter, will the receiving end even like what I’m offering) that could be avoided.
I’d rather try to keep on keeping on here with the way things are, wouldn’t you?
What I will do is list the places where I know you can get your zines reviewed:
Robert at MoreVerbs.com
Syndicated Zine Reviews
Xerography Debt – Yep, that same zine I drooled all over in this review
Zine Nation
And, of course, you can always send your zines to me for review!
Happy International Zine Month: Day 11
This day. Oh, man, this day. Not to mention the awful lighting. Crossing fingers for sun tomorrow so I can take some happy mail pics, because I have some awesome happy mail in.
So, as it turned out, I needed some zen, calm down time, so I used today’s task to do that…
Make some mail art!
I went the zentangle route because that’s one of the few things I can doodle that doesn’t end up stressing me out even more.
Want to see this envie in person? Then enter my giveaway, and I’ll send your zine goodness in THIS envelope. 🙂